HOW TO PRESERVE AND STORE BUTTERFLY AND MOTH SPECIMENS
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2022
- On a trip collecting Lepidoptera specimens for scientific research, here are a few pointers to consider to make sure your butterfly and moth specimens are preserved in the best condition possible. In this video, we will cover everything from what type of container to put them in, envelopes, and how to combat pests as well as mold.
#specimen #entomology #lepidoptera #butterflycollector #butterflycollection #butterfly #moth 
Хобби
This is so helpful. Found a dying butterfly today, it's passed now, and wanted to mount it because it's too beautiful not to, but I didn't know what to do. This buys me time. Thank you. Going to watch your other videos now.
That’s awesome! I’m so happy that you found the video helpful. I’m glad you enjoy the channel. Let me know if you have any questions
This is perfect, i found a dead polyphemus moth at work and needed to know how to store it until i could put it in a display
Fantastic!!! So glad this helped you!!!!
I just love and appreciate you so much, I'm ever grateful for ur passion of lepidoptera ...it's helping guide me with mine. The world needs more ppl who care , thx for being an inspiration!!
4ever Buggin' , not thuggin'
Oh wow!!! This might be the nicest comment I’ve ever gotten on this channel!!! I’m so glad the videos have been helpful!! Many more where these came from!!!!
These how to do it videos are excellent.
Sweet! So glad you like them
Amazing video as always 👍
Thanks so much
Another great video! 💯
Awesome!!!! Thank you so much!
Nice video my friend!
Thanks!!!
Nice video again
Awesome!!! Thanks
When you have a fresh specimen you mount and let dry, is there any special steps to take so it doesn't mold or get eaten while sitting on the board? I can't seem to find an answer to this anywhere on the internet. Thanks!
Great questions. Air conditioning certainly solves the problem with mold. If you are in a wet environment, that is humid, you will always battle mildew. As far as getting eaten by insects, there are a number of different pest control options. One of them is to place your specimens in sealed containers and after placing them in the freezer for a few days, it solves the problem. If your containers are not airtight, then you will constantly need to battle. All different types of museum pests with different types of pesticides. Bioquip used to sell some different options, but they went out of business. You can buy pest strips that people hang in closets and cut little pieces off of the best strip and place them inside of your collection boxes. This solves the problem many times. I will probably do a video on this sometime soon.
Hi! I recently found some beautiful moths that had sadly died and wanted to preserve their beauty, so I collected them and put them straight in the freezer. I have actually bought little glass jars with butterfly wings in them from a market and was hoping to do the same with these moth wings. What would the process be for that? As I’m not mounting them, just hopefully successfully removing their wings and putting them in tiny jars. Thank you so much! I’m new to this but so excited to get started xx
thats a complex process. Are you looking to remove the wings from the body of the moth? Probably a tiny pair of scissors or an exacto knife would be the best tool. The wings will preserve but you need to handle them with forceps of the scales will come off
I'm new to insect pinning and your videos are so helpful, thank you! ☺️ My question is- once you mount your specimen in a shadow box type frame, do you have to put anything on it to preserve them from molding etc.?
Hi there. Thanks so much for watching and I’m glad my videos are being helpful to you. The only thing that will keep them from molding if you have them in dry conditions. The air conditioning is great for that. As long as they are in air-conditioned environment, they will never get moldy. if the environment is too humid, you’ll always have a problem.
@@keysmoths5336 Perfect, I will keep this in mind! The frames I'm using are sealed but I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing an extra step. Thank you again for your help and creating these informative videos! (:
hey david, nice video! i just have some questions to ask if it's okay. is it possible to use acetone (like the nail polish remover) as an alternative agent to preserve the butterfly? and can i spray this agent on the glassine paper to directly preserve the species?
Hi there. I do not believe praying specimens with acetone would help anything. It would evaporate almost immediately. Also, I would not spray anything on them if the specimen is in the envelope.
This is really helpful! I just picked up my first specimen which is a beautiful green pandorus sphinx moth, and I was wondering if you had any specific recommendations for a good airtight shadow box?
Hmmmmm. Great question. They really aren’t air tight. The best thing to do is have some thing custom-made. Also, you could search online for a butterfly shadowbox. That’s relatively inexpensive and just change out the butterfly to your moth.
Pandora is amazing!!! It’s been a minute since I’ve seen one of those
@@keysmoths5336 Thank you for the tip! I actually ended up researching it before picking it up, and they don’t typically appear in my area, so I was super excited to see one!
Hi there! Im very new to entomology so i have a few questions! (Sorry if i didnt catch the answers in the video!) I have a few specimens that i had in a sealed jar (found dead then sprayed them with lysol and put them in a jar) they grew mold sadly. My first questions are, what step am i missing? Also what stops specimens from growing mold in a shadow box? Last question, i have a beautiful polyphemus moth and i noticed it has a super juicy abdomen, should i extract the insides with a needle to avoid oozing or will it not ooze and decay? Im super excited to make this my first piece of entomology art, please help! ❤
Hi there. Glad you’re getting into entomology!!!! Sorry to hear about your moldy specimens. Here’s a few things.
1. No need to spray with Lysol. That won’t help anything
2. Mold happens when specimen is in able to dry out properly. The sealed jar holds moisture and fungi will thrive in that environment. I keep specimens in the freezer until I’m ready to process.
3. Chlorocresol is a chemical you can buy that you add to rehydration chamber. It is a mold inhibitor so they don’t grow mold while in the hydration chamber
4. Very important - when you mount your specimen, keep it in an air conditioned environment. The AC dehydrates the specimen and once moisture is gone in a few days, mold can’t grow
5. Make sure you keep pests away from your specimens while on the board
Wow great can you tell me were did you get all these lepidoptera
Most of them were purchased on line
Thank you for making so many helpful videos. They have been so helpful. I am wondering after moths have been in the freezer, about how long do you leave them out to thaw before spreading them? How do you know they are thawed through?
Glad you like the vids bud. I hope they help. When a bug is fresh, it will thaw out and be ready to mount in a few minutes. If wings are not ready in 2-3 minutes then you will need to put it into a rehydration chamber
Thanks, again super helpful. And thanks for taking the time to answer- and even so quickly too!
Hello David,
Thank you for all your vids, they are definitely helpful!
Also sorry for this comment 1y later but anyway. I think I understood the process of preserving. However, there is one think I don't get properly.
If I catch butterflies or beetles during a trip or in a place I do not have a freezer, and I want to dry them in order to mount them weeks later, how do I proceed?
Do I let them dry naturally on a desk or anything, and then put them in a sealed container with naftaline? Is this enough or not working?
Thank you very much for your help!
Robin
Hi Robyn. Great question. I would use Chlorocresol crystals and put them in a layer of paper towels in the bottom of a Tupperware container while you are traveling. Put your mounted specimens in glassine envelopes and then in that container. The chlorocresol keeps them from molding. When you get them home, then you can dry them out
Hi David, thank you so much for the quick answer.
I got it for transport. I'll give it a try. To be sure, I put them straight in the envelope and then Tupperware without letting them dry or anything?
Also, when I get home, you said I can dry them at that time. Does that mean putting them out of the box and letting them dry on a desk or putting them in the freezer? If I am not mounting them in the upcoming weeks.
Dose the frame need to be completely air tight?
The website you recommend has now been closed and won't comment on why. Do you now have another recommendation? I'm looking for the storing envelopes for moths or any insect because my husband is tired of containers falling out of our freezer haha.
Oh man what a shame - Bioquip went out of business at the same time I was releasing this video. We are scrambling in the entomological community to figure out where to get supplies. Try Carolina Biological Supply
Hi! Thank you so much for your helpfull videos. Was just wondering. I hatched a madagascar bullseye moth and it was dying. When it died i popped it in de freezer because i could not get to it right away. Is it possible to preserve it put it in a glass box without it rotting? Dint know what to do. Please help me. Thank you!
Very nice moth!!! Yes. You can preserve them. I have videos on rehydrating butterflies and also how to mount butterflies. It would be much easier for you to reference those videos for you answers. Let me know how it goes
@@keysmoths5336 okay thanks will watch the videos and let you know how it will go! Have a good day!
I still alittle confused, If I have a fresh unlived moth, do I store it inside a refrigerator asap so I can mount it later, and will I have to add some chemical or water inside the container with the moth or simply just add the moth inside the container and put in the refrigerator and leave it?
Hi there. If your specimen is freshly killed, you can put it inside of some sort of airtight container like a Tupperware or Ziploc bag and put it in the refrigerator and that will keep it pliable for a few days, but you did not want to leave it in the refrigerator for too long. If you are not planning on spreading the wings on your specimens soon, you will want to put it in the freezer to maintain the flexibility when it thaws. If you leave it in the refrigerator too long, it can grow mold.
@KEYS MOTHS ok thank you for the advice :) this helps a lot
@@Daily_Dose_of_Grass great!!! Thanks for watching!
Where can you buy Chlorocresol crystals? I’ve looked online and haven’t been able to find any!?
I used to get mine at Bioquip but they’re out of business now. I’ve seen chlorocresol on line before but have never actually ordered. I’ll try and find something
Quick question I want to this but I don't want to kill butterflies or other insects for it. Is it easier to find dead ones in the field where they eat or closer or inside the forest? Because there's a lot in the fields but non in the forest areas. Is it better to look in the early morning or afternoon? Cause it's summer and they basically just recently hatched etc.
I love your heart to not want to kill them and would rather find dead ones in the field. The problem is, that in nature, the elements and other animals destroy or consume dead insects almost immediately. In fact, I believe most butterflies do not die of “old age” rather, they are eaten by ants, birds, lizards,frogs, etc before they actually die. So that being said, it’s highly unlikely that you’d find butterfly specimens dead in the wild that are in good enough condition to preserve like shown in this video.
My suggestion would be to go on eBay and by some specimens from sellers that farm raise them for that purpose.
Sorry for the “negative nelly” reply - that’s the reality of the insect world
@keysmoths5336 it's all good. I thought about ordering specimens cause then I believe I'd feel less bad. But I also think I'd be more than okay with using butterflies and moths with some damage, I think it makes It more beautiful.
So ants are a great problem for my specimens and idk how to stop them , any solutions ?
Oh I totally can relate to you on that. There have been several times where I have been in an out right war with ants in my house because they keep eating my specimens. It’s just a matter of doing what you can come to control the ants in your house. Do you know what kind of ants you’re dealing with?
They are red ants or fire ants 🐜
@@johngeorgegeorge6633 gotcha. Fire ants are actually fairly easy to control. There are a number of good granular ant controls you can use
Hoping you'll respond, is there anything I have to do to a butterfly I found at my house before starting this process? I've seen people talking about if the body is hollow or not and I'm a bit confused. What should I do to prepare (clean?) the butterfly before starting to preserve it?
Hi there. Sorry for the late reply. You should not need to clean the specimen. Just follow the process on the video series
@@keysmoths5336 late reply is still greatly appreciated!! I did some more research and watched more videos (yours and others) and actually managed to finish the whole process the other day, rehydrated and pinned the butterfly and let it dry, made the box from scratch and after putting the butterfly in i put the last piece on it two days ago :)
Does this all apply to preserving a dragon fly
Yes but dragonflies lose their color typically when they die. You’d have to ask a dragon fly guy what he does for them
I just found a dead butterfly ( im not sure what type because im not familiar) and its really beautiful, i dont want to discard it. I dont know any other tricks or have any of the things that he mentioned. I just want to keep it safe and maybe early morning tomorrow, frame it in a glass frame. I currently have it in a glass jar, the wings are inwards toward the legs ( im scared of insects, this is the first time I've held a butterfly) can anyone help?
Kinda need something simple. If i just place it like this , position the wings and everything, in a glass frame, it wont rot away or anything like that right?
+ he mentioned freezing it... Should i freeze it? Another video told to place a damp tissue around it to keep it moist... Have no idea what im doing 😂😂 really need help
Understood. Message me on IG and we can chat about it. I’ve got videos on how to rehydrate a dried butterfly.
dang..bioquip is already shut down..are there any other companies like bioquip?
There are other options but nothing that was as comprehensive as Bioquip. I’m doing a video soon that talks about other options.
@@keysmoths5336 great! i'll be following your channel then! i'm very interested in the science as well as artistic potential behind this..but mostly the science. and it's really interesting to me how many benefits there are to cataloguing and tracking so many insects. you do a great job with your videos! thank you for your hard work!
@@musicpatron1693 fantastic. Thanks for choosing to follow!!! Let me know if you have any questions
i keep them in the refrigerator
Oh yes! Me too! Until my wife tells me to ditch them!!!!!
Hello do you have an email I have a question
Sure
David@keysmoths.com
This man talks too much. Get to the point
Wow